Family Matters
by chibiness87
Summary: No one is perfect all the time. Spoilers for The Con Man in the Meth Lab. T rated for a couple of bad words.


**Family Matters**, by **chibiness87**

Spoilers for 4.08 The Con Man in the Meth Lab.  
Pairing: B/B… if you squint.  
Disclaimer: not mine.

A/N: So, here's my take on the end of last weeks episode… and yes dad, if all the other writers did it I would jump off a cliff. Unbeta'd.

* * *

I shouldn't have said it. Believe me, if there was one thing about this whole sorry ordeal I wish I could take back, it would be that. No matter how upset my brother, my job, my life may make me feel sometimes, she is my one constant who is always there, and who always seems to make it better, somehow. Apparently, I'm real good at sabotaging the good things in my life.

I know I hurt her. And, while I was mad at her for letting my little brother change her opinion of me in an evening, I had pretty much forgiven her when I heard she had yelled at him and pushed him off a chair in the bar at lunch. Oh yes, I have my sources. Then, she made that speech in front of everyone, and in that moment I knew I had completely forgiven her.

And how do I repay that great speech? I hurt her. Sure, she tried to hide it, and almost succeeded too. But I've been working with Bones for over 3 years now, and I know her tells. Ex-poker player, remember? For just a second, I saw the flash of hurt in her eyes when I brought up her old man. Specifically, the trial of her old man. But I knew, _knew_, the hurt was because of the way I was so... condescending. _Says the person who got her father off murder charges._

There are hundreds, if not thousands of ways I can show her how family, and she _is_ family, look out for each other, and I chose the 'stab you in the back and make you feel like crap' way.

Perfect. Great job Seeley, really. Just when there was hope that your relationship with Bones wasn't completely ruined, and you had to go and say that.

As I sit here now in the bus shelter, hand throbbing slightly from when I punched said shelter not a moment ago and with my brother's actions and words still smarting, I get the feeling I'm being watched. I turn slightly, and am met by the cautious gaze of my observer. It's her.

Of course.

Who else would it be, after all? We're drawn together, her and I, some sort of cosmic magnets, or something like that. God having a good old time up there, deciding today it's my turn to be screwed with. I don't say this to Bones, of course. She would come up with some sort of logical explanation, probably to do with partners and friends, and caring. And while a huge part of me hopes that that is true, this time I cannot be sure. I think I'll stick to magnets.

Either that, or Angela was right all along, and there is no escaping each other because we are meant to be.

Yeah, I'm going to go with magnets.

It's when these thoughts are going through my head that she asks if I want to come back in for cake. Truth be told, cake and celebrating is the last thing on my mind right now, and I bark out "You know, I just need some time, Bones."

Usually, this tone is enough to tell whoever I happen to be around to leave me the hell alone. But not her, not Bones. Tenacious thing that she is, she simply looks at me, and asks, "Do you need time _and_ space?"

Suddenly, all I want is to be somewhere else, somewhere away from here. Just the two of us, maybe some take out and beer, or at the diner, her with her fries and me with my pie, and everything just... _being_. And I know if I try to explain that to her I'll get a puzzled look and a 'I don't know what that means' from her, so I don't say anything. I just smile softly at her, and say, "Just some time."

She returns the smile, and just as I begin to think maybe I haven't messed everything up, I am given another shot of reality. She walks past me to sit down on my left, struggling with the plate of cake she's carrying in one hand. I want to take it from her, help her, but I know she'll frown on that. I've been told enough times by her that if she wants help she'll ask for it. So I just sit there, guilt gnawing at me. She may say she got her shot, but it still feels like it's my fault. I was too upset, too angry, and it almost cost me her life. And no matter what she says, that's on me. She's my partner, my friend, my Bones; it's my job to keep her safe.

Call me an alpha male if you will, but from her little speech back in the bar just before, I'm damn proud of being one right now. She showed something of her belief there, even went as far as saying anthropology, the basis her life is built upon, is in some ways flawed. She let me see, even if she didn't realize it at the time, that she is not perfect.

I've told her many times to gain something from someone you must first show them something of yourself. She has done that this time with no prompting, no reason behind it other than to say she was wrong. And while that may not be a lot to some people, I know it means a lot to her.

And so I reward her in the only way I know how to at this time. Leaning forward, my attention on the piece of cake balanced precariously on my fork, I give a soft sigh. It's about time I let her know some things about my family; after all, I know an awful lot about hers. I decide to start with the big things; the little ones will come in time.

"My dad drank."

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End


End file.
